Combined envelope and letter-sheet



(No Model.) T

N. WEBB COMBINED ENVELOPE AND LETTER SHEET. No. 503,628.

Patented Aug. 22, 1893.

TAM 3 d4 W a 8 a M 1 -W- UNTTen STATES PATENT @rrron.

NICHOLAS w. WEBB, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

COMBINED ENVELOPE AND LETTER-SHEET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,628 dated August 22, 1893.

Application filed November 30, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS \V. WVEBB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Combined Envelope and Letter-Sheet, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in combined envelopes and letter-sheets,wherein the letter-sheet after having been written upon may be folded to produce its own eu- Velope.

The objects in view are to so form the sam as to render its folding Operation readily understood by those using it; furthermore, that when unsealed or opened, a letter-sheet of regulation size and shape Will be produced; and finally, to adapt the same to be readily Opened, but when closed to hide from view the contents, rendering it impossible to obtain access without destroying some portion of the seal.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain features of construction hereinafter specified and particularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings:Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank employed, or in other words, the combined letter-sheet and envelope as the same appears when adapted to be Written upon. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the first fold having been formed as when in the act of folding in order to convert into the envelope. Fig. 3 is a similar view, the second fold having been formed and the first flap secured in position. Fig. 4 is a front view of the completed envelope illustrating the manner of opening the same. Fig. 5 is a view of the letter-sheet after the envelope has been opened. Fig. 6 is a similar view of a modified construction of envelope, the same being open. Fig. 7 is a similar view after all but the last fold has been made. Fig.8 is a similar View after the last fold has been made.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring to Fig. 1 wherein the blank of the preferred form is shown as open, it will be seen that the same is substantially rectangular forming a full sized letter-sheet 1. This letter-sheet is divided from top to bottom and at its center by a fold-line 2, and is divided its position.

Serial No. 453,636. (No specimens.)

transversely into three parts by fold-lines 3 and 4, the same crossing the fold -line 2. From the fold-line 2to its left hand edge, the upper end of the sheet is provided with a sealing-flap 5, whose under side is gummed, if so desired, and from the fold-line 4 to the up per edge of the sheet, the left-hand edge is provided with a pair of flaps 6 and 7 likewise gummed, if desired, and which may be made continuousifpreferred,thoughforthepurpose of reducing bulk they are opposite the foldline 3 slightly reduced in width. These flaps 6 and 7 are provided with a preferably perforated fold-line 8, which is a short distance outside of the left-hand edge of the sheet, and at each side of this fold-line 8 perforated lines 9 and 10 are formed, the inner line being but a continuation of the left-hand edge of the sheet.

It will be seen that the writing may fill the entire sheet, with the exception of the flaps, and after it has been completed the sheet is folded on the line 2, bringing the right-hand half of the sheet over upon,the left-hand half, whereby the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 20f the drawings. Next the two halves are folded transversely upon the line 4, after which the sealing flaps 6 and 7are dampened and folded upon the sheet, as shown in Fig. 3. It now simply remains to fold upon the transverse fold-line 3 and then to seal with the flap 5. Thus it will be seen that all of the openings are closed, and access can only be had to the interior of the envelope by a destructibn of theflap 5 and the flaps (i and 7. Such destruction maybe accomplished by the insertion of any instrument, such as a knife, letter-opener, &c., under the flap 5, and then or previous to such operation, by a tearing off of that portion of the flaps 6 and 7 which is between the perforated lines 9 and 10, it being evident that when the flaps 6 and 7 are folded over upon the letter-sheet, the two perforated lines 9 and 10 will be brought into alignment, and hence by taking hold of one end of the intermediate portion of the blank, the same may be readily severed or torn from WVhether this part be torn first or last the result is the same in that when opened the flaps 5, 6 and 7 are all adhering to the rear side or face of the envelope, and do not in any way obstruct a clear vision of the ICC contents; and furthermore a rectangular letter-sheet of regulation size is left, which may be folded and filed away, or otherwise treated as a matter of record, if so desired.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8, I have illustrated a slightly modified construction, the same consisting in an oblong blank or letter-sheet ll which is divided in thirds by fold-lines 12 and 13 running from its upper to its lower edge, so that sections 14:, 15, and 16 are produced, the former being at the left-hand end of the blank. This former section 14 has a sealingfiap 17 at its upper edge and a double flap 18 at its outer edge, the double flap having a preferably perforated fold-line 19 at the opposite sides of which are located perforated lines 20. In this instance in order to close the envelope, or rather form the same, the section 16 is folded upon the section 15 upon'the fold-line 13, and the two sections 15 and 16 thus folded are folded over upon the line 12 on to the section 14, after which the double fiap 18 is dampened and folded over upon the rear side of the section 15, and the sections 14, 15, and 16 then transversely folded and sealed by the flap 17, such transverse folding taking place upon the line 21. Previous to the final sealing and folding and after the first sealing of the flaps 18, the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 7; and after final sealing they arein the position shown in Fig. 8;

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I obtain the same results as to the facility of opening the envelope, whether the construction first described or last described be employed; and furthermore in each construction after the envelope has been opened the resultis that a letter-sheet of a uniform, regular shape is produced. If desired instead of removing the flap at the end of the envelope by tearing on the double foldlines 9and 10, or 20, the same may be accomplished by passing the finger or any pointed instrument under the flap and severing on the perforated fold-line 8 or 19, should the envelopefbe thus provided.

The fold-line isperforated for the reason that persons unfamiliar with the operations of the envelope would be liable to wrongly fold the double flap upon one of the perforated lines instead of the central fold-lines; Thus I avoid any such error.

Having described my invention, what I claim is The letter-sheet having a vertical and a plurality of transverse fold-lines dividing the sheet into sections, the flap 5 at the upper left hand corner of the sheet and longitudinally disposed, and the double flaps 6 and 7-at the upper left hand corner transversely disposed and occupying the edges of two of the sections at said corner, said flaps being reduced attheir point of juncture which occursopposite the first transverse fold-line, and the double line of perforations arranged at each side of the'fold line of the double flap,,substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

NICHOLAS W. WEBB. 

